Student attitudes to learning business statistics: Comparison of online and traditional methods

Worldwide, electronic learning (E-learning) has become an important part of the education agenda in the last decade. The Suan Dusit Rajabhat University (SDRU), Thailand has made significant efforts recently to use Internet technologies to enhance learning opportunities. The results reported here are part of a pioneering study to determine the effectiveness of a new online learning course in the subject "Business Statistics". This paper compares two groups of students, one studying using a traditional lecture-based approach, and the other studying using e-learning. The comparison is based on students' attitudes towards statistics measured using a validated questionnaire, both before and after the 16-week course, and for each of the modes of study. Comparisons are also made with students studying by distance, although the numbers in these groups are too small for sensible statistical analysis. The questionnaire data are augmented by material from interviews and other student reports of their experience. The results showed highly significant differences in attitudes towards statistics between the students studying online and the students using a traditional approach

The Development of Kanom Hin Fon Thong Product for Health

Kanom Hin Fon Thong is an ancient Thai dessert since Ayutthaya Period. It is hard to be found nowadays. The required materials include rice flour, coconut milk, and sugar that bring high energy. This is problematic for consumers who must control carbohydrate amounts in order to prevent the increase of blood sugar levels. In Thailand, people with obesity tend to increase until it becomes an important public health problem in a number of countries including Thailand. The higher rate of obesity caused different required nutrients. Kanom Hin Fon Thong with low GI is interesting for consumption among consumers who like Thai desserts, with worry about blood sugar levels. The development of Kanom Hin Fon Thong formulas with low GI was good for consumer health. Mixture designed was planned to find the proper ratios of Kanom Hin Fon Thong. There were 3 studied factors, i.e., rice flour, coconut milk, and sugar 8 formulas were obtained from the experiment. The nutritive value and GI (glycemic index) were analyzed, along with sensory test in 50 consumers with the 9-point rating scale. It was found that the tested characteristics were significantly different (p ≤ 0.05)

Evaluation of eLearning outcomes- experience from an online Psychotherapy education programme

SEPTIMUS is a one-year Europe-wide postgraduate theoretical course for psychotherapists and counselors provided entirely via the internet. It may be used as part of a training course, with face to face elements provided locally, or for continuing professional development. The course was developed at the University of Sheffield in collaboration with psychotherapy training institute partners in seven other European countries. Two studies involving 167 SEPTIMUS students and 60 comparable face-to-face students were undertaken. Study 1- Drop-out rates for the SEPTIMUS programme were found to be low, and comparison between those dropping out and those completing did not highlight any significant factors linked to distance learning. However, students cited Finance, Distance from training centre, Lack of practical experience, Family commitments and the Intensity of their working weeks as having been barriers to taking face-to-face learning courses in the past. Study 2- SEPTIMUS students (eLearners) were compared with students taking comparable attending (face-to-face) theoretical courses also being provided by partners in the project to psychotherapy trainees. Significant differences were found in Distance from training institute and Ability to visit training institute. SEPTIMUS students had higher levels of Computer ownership, Frequency of internet use and IT skills than attenders; these factors when examined in study 1 did not have an impact on the drop-out rate of eLearners. eLearning can overcome barriers to traditional learning in psychotherapy, particularly distance from a training centre, without loss of student satisfaction or student performance. Factors sometimes thought to be obstacles to eLearning, such as IT skills, were not found to be significant barriers, although may have affected recruitment. Certain aspects of eLearning, such as the tendency to facilitate self-disclosure, were found to be very beneficial particularly in the context of psychotherapy programmes